April 06, 2010

Feds announce $410 million for O'Hare runways

The expansion of O'Hare International Airport got a $410 million boost today as federal officials announced money to help build three runways.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin noted the money is the largest lump sum given to a single airport in recent history. The funding is part of the federal stimulus act, and officials estimate the expansion project will create 13,000 jobs.

"He understands that we need to keep our commitment to O'Hare, to Illinois and to the nation to put America back to work," Durbin said of Obama.

The money comes on top of a $337 million promised by the federal government in 2005, bringing the total federal investment in the expansion to $747 million.

"It's an enormous amount of money, but it really is the kind of investment that has to be made at O'Hare in order to continue it to be the premiere international airport that it is," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a former Republican congressman from Peoria.

LaHood joined Mayor Richard Daley, Gov. Pat Quinn and Durbin at the airport to discuss the federal windfall.

The airport expansion has been running low on money because the major airlines at O'Hare are not on board with paying for the second phase.

Comments

Better to create something with the money than hand it out for nothing. It's not like people are going to fly less in the future. Considering all states are getting pieces of this federal money, the O'Hare project should be one project anyone in Illinois can appreciate - if not for the improvements then at least for the jobs.

Create 13,000 jobs? Thirteen thousand? Where did they get this magical number? Are they building some new runways or are they building a whole separate airport? After all the recent lay-offs and business closings, I'd be surprised if 13,000 people work at O'Hare as of right now.

When the airport expansion for the Chicago area was being studied, there were very strong cases made for enhancing the airports in Rockford and Gary along with a new airport in Peotone. The conclusion was that these moves would provide a much better result for travelers and cost a lot less money. Comparatively, the O'Hare project would cost well over one billion more with a line item of 800 million just to grab the land. The big problems with the alternate approach were that Chicago could not buy the brick and morter and could not bestow the vendor rites.
The award ceremony for the money should have done in the dark, probably at night, like when the O'Hare decision was made.

Please audit this money.
after getting reports from consultants,
engineering studies,
bonuses,
parties,
and please no stupid shirts, jackets, coolers when the project is done.
how much money will be used to build a single runway?

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